No dusting off the cobwebs here.
After two ACL injuries in the past two years, Nyara Sabally was ready to showcase her talent in her first ever Pac-12 opener.
On Oregon’s first scoring possession of the game, Sabally didn’t hesitate to drive straight to the net for their first points, and her first ever bucket in Pac-12 play. On the following possession, Sabally pulled the trigger from three-point range . From the tip, Sabally made her presence known. Those two possessions showcased her versaitility And she didn’t stop there. Her impact led the Ducks to a 82-53 Oregon victory over the Colorado Buffs as she contributed a double-double.
Sabally finished a perfect nine-for-nine from the field for 20 points in 22 minutes. Along with her perfect Pac-12 scoring debut, Sabally ended the night with ten rebounds for her first ever double-double in a Duck uniform.
“It’s been really hard the last two years,” Sabally said. “It’s been a long journey. I’m just so happy to be on the court with my teammates, so I’m just so grateful for everybody.”
Not only was the power forward effective on the offensive end, but she impacted the game on the other side of the floor as well. The redshirt sophomore dominated the middle: tipping passes, preventing easy cuts through the paint, stuffing players on the block and flying all over the court.
“She’s played now a little over 50 minutes in two and a half years, and I thought she was a factor at both ends of the floor,” said Oregon head coach Kelly Graves. [….] “It was great to see her have that kind of game.”
The other Oregon twin tower in the post was Sedona Prince, who started the game alongside Sabally. Colorado’s Mya Hollingshead, who was named a 2020 All Pac-12 preseason honorable mention, was limited to four points due to Sabally and Prince’s interior defense.
“I liked what I saw tonight from both of them, that was a pretty good start for us,” said Graves. “We might need to look into going more high-low when they’re in together.”
Complementing Sabally was Erin Boley, who let the ball fly from three point land. The senior finished her last-first Pac-12 opener with 17 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
Te-Hina Paopao also had a hot start in her first Pac-12 debut and was the only freshman to finish the game in double figures, contributing 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. Even though this was Paopao’s first start with Sabally, she already feels a growing chemistry.
“She’s a great player and a great teammate,” Paopao said. “She’s been playing really well in practice and me and her have those connections in practices a lot, both her and Sedona [Prince]. I’m really proud of Nyara. She’s been waiting for this for a long time and seeing her grow and the confidence she had before the injuries is amazing to watch.”
Follow Carly on Twitter @carlyebisuya.
